This invention relates to the field of cameras, and more specifically to motion triggered cameras.
Cameras for taking photographs generally consist of a light-proof enclosure having an aperture with a shuttered lens through which the image of an object is focused and recorded on a photosensitive film. A user typically triggers the shutter to expose the film, thus allowing a picture to be made.
Sometimes it is desirable for a user to take a picture when they are not present. For instance, the user may want to keep surveillance on an area for security or surveillance reasons. In some situations, the camera is switched on and continuously scans the area. In other situations, the camera is triggered by an event. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,283 to House discusses a single-use camera that incorporates a motion sensor to activate the shutter and take a photograph.
Some problems with such cameras include that the user does not know the time a picture was taken, or the camera may take too many unnecessary pictures at one time and waste film, or the camera may be stolen. When used outdoors, the camera may be damaged by weather. It is also desirable for the camera to be portable and relatively inexpensive.
For these and other reasons which will be apparent upon reading the present disclosure, a motion detector camera having a variety of user-controllable functions has been devised. In one embodiment, the motion detector camera includes a housing having a mounting member in a bottom surface for mounting the housing to a tripod, the housing having an film advance mechanism for automatically advancing a film of the camera after each exposure. The camera includes a wide angle lens attached to a front surface of the housing, a motion detector attached to a front surface of the housing, and a flash attached to the housing. The camera also includes a controller for controlling the flash and a shutter of the camera, wherein the controller receives a signal from the motion detector indicating a triggering event and the controller causes the flash to flash if necessary and causes the shutter to form an exposure on the film.
In one option, the controller is programmable to cause the camera to take a pre-determined number of exposures per triggering event. In another option, the controller causes a test light to blink when the motion detector is triggered but the controller does not cause the camera to expose any film. In another option, when the camera is turned on the controller regulates a test sequence wherein the test light blinks for a pre-determined amount of time. In another option, when put into a pause state, the controller ignores any triggering events of the motion detector until a pre-determined amount of time has elapsed. In another option, the camera can alternatively place an hour/minute stamp on a picture or a year/date/month stamp on the picture.
Among other advantages, these features provide a user with a portable, full-featured motion detector camera.